Koi no Aji (Flavor of Love) - 恋の味 - Erina and Souma
by Janisary
Summary: Erina and Souma have endured a lot since meeting each other two years ago. As a new and final year rolls in for the two aspiring chefs, their relationship becomes... complicated. Just what does love taste like?
1. Chapter 1

The sound of the pan sizzling rang through both their ears. To the young male chef, that was music. It was apt to say that Souma's messy crimson hair best represented his personality. Fiery as the flame he harnessed on the stove, the third year student of Tōtsuki Culinary Academy energetically flipped the filet onto the spatula and then tilted the pan and started ladeling the olive oil onto the filet. _Shoukodokoro Yukihira_ 's logo on his beaten long sleeved shirt accompanied him as he made his swift movements in the kitchen. Beside him was a lady of considerable mystique, Erina Nakiri. Her golden blonde hair flowingly draped over her narrow body. Her arms were folded across her chest, with her bright vermillion eyes thoroughly engaged with the deft movements of Souma's hands. Donned with a perfectly tailored, ivory uniform and with her figure, she represented the epitome of style and elegance in the culinary world, if such a standard had even existed. Age certainly had an effect, as she made an appearance even more stunning than the one she emanated two years ago. Despite the deep contrast in appearances, the two chefs were partners in Chef Chappelle's mixed grade seminar on seafood in French cuisine.

Once the fish from the pan met the plate. Souma wiped his brow dotted with beads of sweat and untied his signature _hachimaki_ from his forehead.

"It wasn't much!" he proclaimed as he signaled for his partner to try the dish. Cautiously, she took a fork and knife and carefully took a slice of the fish. As elegantly as one could eat, she took a bite and began tasting the dish. An air of suspense had built up throughout the classroom. Although the project was a partner assignment, everyone, including Chapelle himself, could not help but keep their eyes on the only two third years in the class. The scene the pair made together was astounding, to say the least.

"It's no good" Erina said in disapproval. A few moments later, she realized the subtle harshness in her words. Sometimes she couldn't help it, out of reflex she could identify both the nuances and deficiencies in a dish. In truth the herbed sea bass was excellent, probably the best use of the fish she's ever tasted. After all, the number of chefs that were as skilled as him could be counted with the fingers on one hand. However, no matter the quality, if a dish was lacking, a sharp critique was sure to follow.

"Ah, really? And to think I got it right this time with the addition of the dill and rosemary," Souma replied sheepishly.

"Yes… that helped, but it still needs acidity to balance the richness you added from the cream," Erina said more cautiously this time. Careful not to meet his eyes out of fear of seeing his reaction, she looked at this plate again.

"Otherwise, it'll taste… sad. As of right now, the flavor lingers on the palette for too long,"

"Sad, huh?" Souma said with a hint of curiosity, noticing that she was looking away from him.

Suddenly Souma flashed his trademark grin and said "That makes sense! You really are amazing Nakiri! I'm lucky that you're in this class!"

Erina couldn't help but feel a little embarrassed. "Just who is Nakiri?" Erina quipped without thinking. Realizing the tone of her voice again, she ended her words with a cadence, "Did I not tell you to not to call me that…" There he was complimenting her and she replied with the same scathing words that she herself loathed.

"Whoops, my bad, my bad. I'm just so used to calling you "Nakiri" at this point," Souma followed unfazed.

That confident smile that Souma had on his face was the same one he wore in their first encounter, Erina thought to herself. To everyone else Souma had indeed changed after those two years of hard-earned battles and extensive training. Along with his status, his stature and personality had developed as well. Taller and more toned, Souma was remarkably popular, especially with the underclassmen. He still joked and laughed, but there was new distinctive air of acuity that would follow his words – except when he talked to _her_. Just like back then, it seemed that no matter how inflammatory her words were, he would either smile or just continue in his usual doltish, carefree manner. She was glad that her words never repelled him, like they once did to so many others.

Yet, a part of her resented him for this. Any attempt of apology or explanation on how she treated him in the past seemed to never sink into his ears. It was almost as though he knew what she was about to say, but decided to let it fester inside her. Without his forgiveness or even simple acknowledgement, it seemed that she would never be able to rid her feelings of guilt. After all his support to her, it seemed that properly thanking him would be impossible. For a man with such a foolhardy demeanor, he seemed to torment her like no one else could.

"How about Erina-chii? Just like everyone else back at the dorm calls you," Souma said impishly.

"…That's better." Erina said with a bit of hesitation.

"Okay, Erina-chiiiii", playfully dragging out the 'chi' to make a point. "Well, we have to get going. Thanks again for the help!" Souma said as he packed up his knives.

With those last words, the bell rang and Erina was left behind yet again. A few murmurings and snickers from their underclassmen went through the classroom. With two of the strongest chefs at Tōtsuki together — to them, it was the dream couple. After all, he is the hero who deposed the Azami Nakiri regime. And Erina Nakiri's name certainly had not waned. Her unmatched tasting ability and cooking skill had earned her the title, "God's Tongue". Normally, she would be quick to shut down any suspicion of the sort, but today she couldn't summon her usual sharp dismissal. For some reason, she wished that their suspicions, despite their frivolity, were even just a little correct.

* * *

It was Erina's shift to cook for the Polar Star Dorm later that night. Out of instinct from the class earlier in the day, she took out the fresh sea bass that had been delivered for the next class from the fridge. Lately, cooking has been a blur to her. By picking up a knife, she lost the sense of herself. Neither the cold touch of the fish nor the stove's heat seemed to break this meditative trance. Halfway in scaling and filleting the fish, she realized that the fish was supposed to be used for their class the next day. It can't be helped, she muttered to herself, as she prepared the fish. As she finished up, she began laying out the dozen dishes onto the kitchen counter. All of the dishes were white and perfectly circular, like the moon on an autumn night, not unlike theirs right now. She saw her own cold reflection, much to her consternation. As she plated each dish meticulously, she thought of what cooking really meant to her.

Her cooking had brought her everything, even greater fame and wealth to the Nakiri name. A part of her believed that cooking maybe even brought her friends, if that's how her compatriots at the Polar Star Dorm actually viewed her as. She thought about the the collection of private kitchens and cooking supplies she was able to amass from her numerous shokugekis in the past. Without a doubt her horde was worth a stupendous sum, enough to open at least a half dozen restaurants. Yet, to her, it was becoming increasingly difficult to discern their worth. Every time she thought back at what it meant to her, she could only describe it as one resounding way — an empire of broken souls. She was a fraud — nothing but a victor among those who carried more zeal and love for the culinary arts than she ever did. She could not relate with them when they shed tears at the loss of their precious sanctuaries. Unlike the people she conquered, she did not experience joy from her deft slices with her knife, only pride. Once that well of ego had evaporated, there was nothing left.

Now she could see cooking as the very same art that tore apart her family and estranged her from her father. This was the same world that continues to leave her confused. For all her talent, she questioned if she still wanted to be a chef. Her father's second dismissal would put things back in order, she had thought. Yet, that was woefully not the case. This turn of events simply left her more confused and reignited memories from the past. She thought back to those kinder days with Chef Saiba, her first step into the brighter side of the cooking world. But even the light from that time days waned with each passing day. Something was missing. If not pride, if not power, what was there to find in her food other than her own unending stare?

She walked over to dining room to find the usual Polar Star scene in the lounge with Fumio-san quietly reading a book while sitting on an arm chair by the window. Despite the absence of the "Naked Apron", the dorm was alive as ever. The conversations would encompass topics from all aspects of the world. From the process of _koji_ to smoking meats, all the discussions were laced with jargon, but most of all a love for cooking that Erina found herself so distant from. "Dinner is ready," Erina meekly announced to the rabble. Some of the more astute members turned their attention towards her, but just as quickly turned their attention back to their own discussions.

"Oh? Is that so Nakiri-san. Thank you. I'll announce it to the others." Fumio-san said.

"EVERYONE! IT'S DINNER TIME! COME DOWN" she bellowed into the pipes that went into every room within the building.

One by one, the Polar Star Dorm members started shuffling in. As she sat at the table, she couldn't help but notice Souma and Megumi talking as they came into the dining room. Just as naturally as they came in together, they sat down continuing their conversation. They look so happy with each other at their sides, she thought to herself. She thought of her own exchange with Souma that day and how much the two atmospheres of the two conversations were worlds apart. She wondered how Souma actually viewed her. Certainly they seemed to be on better terms since their first encounter. However, the fact that she was the first seat of the Elite Ten could not be ignored. A challenge for a cooking battle was inevitable, as everyone at Tōtsuki knew that his goal was to be nothing but the best. Thinking back at the speech he made two years ago, Erina wondered to herself if she was nothing but a stepping stone to him. Normally, she would not think twice about accepting a shokugeki from a formidable opponent, but she did not know how to feel about a shokugeki against Souma, her savior and a chef of her equal.

Once everyone's attentions had been redirected to the plate in front of them, their faces glowed with excitement.  
"As expected of Erina-chan!" Daigo and Shōji both proclaimed.

"Of course, Nakiri-san would be kind enough to make us such a beautiful dish as always. Right Nakiri-san?" Sasaki said.

Erina silently nodded and hoped that everyone would just get to eating. It's not that she disliked praise or interacting with other people, but the expectations they placed on her became overbearing. It seemed that with every person mentioning her "talent" or "skill", the burden she carried only grew.

Again, she found her eyes looking at the direction of Souma and Megumi sitting on the far right side of the table. The two of them were perfectly at ease,, talking and laughing with each other. The smile that Megumi put on in Souma's presence made her a little envious. She wondered why the only person she could confide to like that was Hisako.

As everyone finished up, she began to tidy the table — a duty that was once foreign to her before moving into the Polar Star Dorm. As she went over to where Souma and Megumi sat, she noticed someone's shadow on the table.

"Oi Nakiri! That was pretty good! I guess our dish wasn't so bad after all!" Souma prodded. His voice had the same effect as a poke to the ribs.

"Yes, it was well done," Erina curtly replied, as she turned to talk to him, still conscious of today's events. She did not look up at him, out of fear of meeting his eyes. She noticed that Megumi was talking to Marui on the other side of the room by the door, but somehow their eyes met.

"Well, I should be going back to my room now..." Erina replied.

"Wait a sec. About that dish, you didn't add the acidity to it like you suggested today," Souma interjected.

Erina's eyes widened. To everyone else, it was not a big deal, but she had forgotten to taste the dish before serving it. The God's Tongue was not supposed to fail. "And what about it? It still tasted fine, did it not?" Erina replied.

"Yeah, but you mentioned something about it tasting sad... and you've been pretty quiet lately," Souma replied, more attentive to his tone. "Is something up?" with an unusual hint of concern in his question.

Erina, caught by surprise, just shook her head. After a short moment's pause she said, "Good night, Yukihira-kun." and made for the door.

"Well, if you need to talk to someone, don't be shy." Souma said as he followed her.

Erina walked by Megumi and made a respectful nod before she walked out the door.

"Souma-kun, let her have her rest!" Megumi said. She tugged on Souma's sleeve, stopping him before the door shut in front of him.

"You're not exactly her favorite person," Megumi quietly said while looking at the floor.

"... I guess you're right. I just thought she looked a bit down, that's all," Souma said sheepishly.

"Don't worry. I'll talk to her tomorrow about it," Megumi replied. "Now, we should get back to the paperwork. As the second seat, you have to do more than just cook!" Megumi lightly scolded with an air of playfulness.

"My bad... Let's continue." Souma replied half-heartedly as he heard the patter of Erina's feet going up the stairs.

 **To be continued...**


	2. Chapter 2

It was morning. The rising sun's rooms began to seep into the room leaving the room incongruously spotted with light and dark. Feeling neither rested nor relaxed, Erina lay in her bed wearing her silk, pale colored nightgown observing the light strip away the murkiness of night. Compared to the opulence of the Nakiri estate, the decor of her room was remarkably spartan. The curtains were rather simple, too thin to block out the sunlight and too sparse to be considered ornamental. Her room was devoid of mementos or photos that could help identify the resident. With Souma and Megumi's rooms one and two doors away respectively, the room's location could be described as peculiar.

Thinking of yesterday's events, she recalled that the fish that she had cooked for dinner was supposed to be used for class today. She got of the bed with a faint sense of worry begin to grow. Not that the ish was hard to come by, but the Chilean sea bass was an exotic fish and needed to be ordered ahead of time. A day's advance would normally be enough, but they needed the fresh fish for today's project evaluation in class. She resolved to call her supplier to see if she could still buy more. In any case, she would have to tell Souma about this blunder - a confession that she dreaded. Even simulating the scenario made her uncomfortable as she could see his bright amber eyes peer down on her.

Erina got out of bed and quickly got ready. As she made her way back to her room from the washroom, the door to Souma's room opened. There, Souma dressed in a hoodie and track pants, exited also appearing to be ready to go out.

Noticing Erina, Souma turned towards her direction. "Oh, morning Nakiri," yawning more than actually speaking.

Erina, a little flushed to see him up this early, replied, "G- good..morning Yukihira-kun,".

"Up early today, aren't you?" he said coyly.

"The same could be said for you," she snapped back. Remembering the predicament that she found herself in, she opened her mouth to tell him about it. "Yuki-"

"Yeah. See ya Nakiri. I'm going to see if we can get fish for today's class," Souma interrupted.

Surprised, she asked "You knew?"

"Well yeah, you sure treated everyone well last night" Souma said with a yawn. "Dinner was delicious," he trailed off as he began to make his way downstairs.

"Wait, Yukihira-kun. I should be the one getting the fish, it was my turn to."

"Nah, it's all right. The market's only a half hour ride with my bike," He replied nearly downstairs at that point.

Erina followed him. Displeased with his complacent attitude, she snapped back, "Hold on, I said it was my fault, right? I accidentally used it for dinner, so I'll be responsible for getting it!". She put her right hand on her mouth after hearing the volume of her own voice so early in the morning.

Souma, now at the foot of the stairs, turned around. Erina was perched up five or six steps looking down upon him. "Well, I still want to check out the fish they have. So let's go together…." He replied and then after a short pause "Erina-chiii".

Not leaving her with much choice, Erina replied, "Fine. But we'll be going by car." She pulled out her cellphone and with only a few words, ordered for her driver.

"Sure is nice being rich, huh?" Souma remarked.

She asked herself how he could remain so talkative that early in the morning. The two remained in silence until the car pulled up in front of the Polar Star Dormitory a few minutes later. As they got in, Souma recalled the time where they shared the ride from the training camp. "This reminds me Nakiri… Of the time we came back to Tōtsuki together. Remember?" He asked.

"Yes." she replied curtly, unsure what else to say about that experience. How could she possibly reply? ' _Tell him that she missed the busses because she had forgotten her only picture of his father?'_ she thought to herself somewhat bitterly.

"Something about this time is different…" Souma mused.

"Different?"

"Maybe this car is a different model? The car's a bit smaller, isn't it?"

Erina hadn't noticed that until now. The two of them were sitting noticeably closer, although not by choice. Their elbows were only a few centimeters away from brushing each other, far closer than last time as he had enough space to place his bags next to him.

"Not that it's bad or anything," Souma added.

Erina couldn't bring herself to say much afterwards. For all of his words he spoke, none of them were used to put blame on her. Erina asked herself why he was up to cover for _her_ misstep. He was all too confusing, yet kind to her.

"Yukihira-kun, I'm sorry for -" Erina said hesitantly.

"Oh look, we're here," Souma interrupted.

Again, her attempt of an apology was deftly swatted away. _Is this kindness just a front?_ she asked. Is he truly displaying compassion or is this simply a different way of humiliation? Rather than forgiveness words of forgiveness, her words were simply ignored. The car pulled up to the curb by the fish market.

"I said to not worry about it, didn't I?" he said just before they both got out of the car. She wasn't able to see his face at the time, but something about his words expressed annoyance.

The two went through the door headed to the stands. "Have you been here before Nakiri?" he asked while waiting for her to catch up.

The unfamiliar bustle of the market overwhelmed her. All sorts of fish were loudly being sold off and men with large crates went up and down the market. Erina replied, "I have secured contacts here on behalf of the Nakiri family in the past. But personally, I have never shopped here,"

"Oh yeah, you just order everything you need and it gets delivered, right? That's pretty convenient," Souma said with a chuckle. "Well, I've been here plenty of times with my pops. I think I was here a few times with Tadokoro too."

On the rare occasions Souma mentioned his father, Erina's interest would be piqued and she would listen closer than usual. But the only words that slipped out of her mouth were "Tadokoro Megumi?"

"The one and only," Souma grinned. "She's a pretty good seafood chef, ya know?"

An old man from one of the larger stalls cried out, "Hey! Yukihira, m'boy!"

"Good morning, old man!"

When Souma approached him, the man whispered into Souma's ear "Who's that with you? Don't tell me you're a two timer!"

Souma decided to ignore the fishmonger's joke and replied, "Got any Chilean sea bass today? The fish from last time was pretty good!"

"Today? You should know better! The local restaurants buy it all up in the morning. You need to tell me ahead of time!" the man replied in what seemed to be a rough Okinawan accent.

"I know, it's my bad. It's just a bit of an emergency,"

"Either use the frozen fish or some other kind. I know you gourmet types will never touch frozen though when you can buy my fresh fish!"

"I guess it can't be helped" Souma said. Turning to Erina, Souma asked, "Well? You know this stuff better than me. What should we do?"

"We can't. Our recipe is specifically catered for Chilean sea bass. I'll see if we can have Chapelle-sensei move back the evaluation to tomorrow" she replied.

"Halibut is close enough, isn't it?" Souma asked her.

"The previous recipe was the best use for the sea bass, not halibut. That means we have to take on an entirely different recette, which we don't have the time to make up,"

"With you, that shouldn't be an issue. 'Scuse me, old man! I'll take 10 kilograms of halibut!"

Erina told the man to put it on the Nakiri family's account, which led to the man to instantly change his demeanor. Quickly and quietly, he chose and prepared the freshest halibut and put it in their ice chest. WIth the fish in tow, they headed back for the car.

"Thank you very much for your business, Nakiri-san," the fishmonger said while he bowed his head.

Souma waved goodbye with his free hand. Seeing Souma struggle a little with the chest filled with ice and fish, "Is that not heavy? Let me help you with it," she asked while motioning to take a hold of one handle.

"It's fine, it's fine. Wouldn't want to overexert yourself Nakiri, you're already helping a lot," Souma said smiling and waving her off.

Souma loaded the chest in the trunk of the car. Now with both of them back in the car, Souma said, "I don't have the sharpest sense of smell like Hayama or affinity to seafood like Kurobika, but we really scored this time with fresh fish, didn't we?". Erina then understood. It was no surprise that her name was what secured the best fish for them. Under his smile, she realized that Souma possessed a greater sense of cunning that she didn't expect. She couldn't decide if it was underhanded or clever. Either way, she couldn't see a reason to be mad with him. Away from the chaos of the market and relieved from her self-imposed crisis she felt herself relax. Still tired from waking up early, she closed her eyes.

Souma felt a tap on his shoulder. While in her sleep, Erina's head tilted towards his direction and found its way on Souma. Souma, unsure what to do with ten minutes left in the ride decided to let her stay in that position. Something about this time was decidedly different than the last time they shared a ride. Somehow, Souma could sense they were closer, beyond than just the physical distance between them. Thinking back at their ride two years ago, both of their arms were crossed with their eyes fixed the moving scenery outside the car window. To Souma, today wasn't bad at all but even he could notice something that troubled her.

Souma caught himself with his eyes on Erina more than he would have cared to admit. The sun now shining brighter than they had last seen it, shined on her golden hair, an angelic air graced the cramped rear seat. Yet, her face proved that he was anywhere but heaven. Her lips were slightly pursed, and curved almost resembling a frown. Beneath her stiff upper lip and beautiful exterior, there was a layer of vulnerability that exposed itself in her sleep. "I guess even the beautiful need their beauty sleep," Souma gently mused to himself. Was this truly the face of his greatest rival? he asked.

The car now pulled up at the French cuisine hall, where their class would be later in the day. "Psstt… yo, Erina-chi. We're here," he said as he gently tapped her shoulder.

"Huh?" she said sleepily, eyes only half open.

"You've gotta be pretty beat to be able to sleep like a rock,"

Erina, realizing that her head was on Souma's shoulder, promptly straightened herself out and pretended not to hear him. Souma, noticing that it was probably best to not push it further got up and opened the door and put one leg out. "I'll be going ahead, Nakiri, I have to pop the halibut in the fridge."

Souma's aloof attitude now began to annoy her, "What makes you think that I can trust you to make a dish with my name on it?" she snapped. "We only have a few hours before class."

"You're not hungry or anything? You haven't eaten breakfast yet, you know?"

"Do you realize that it would be an embarrassment if we produce a subpar dish?"

"I guess you're right. In that case, let's cook!"

Once the two were in the kitchen, Souma began to clean and filet the fish.

"I think we could just sear the fish a little less to suit the halibut a little better,"

"It would be much more suited to steam the fish en papillote,"

"In papirote?"

"Have you been not paying attention to Chapelle-sensei's lectures?" Erina scolded. "We could use the same recette, but halibut has a different texture. Cooking it using en papillote would be much more suited for this fish,"

"It means to steam the fish within a paper pouch. Are you even awake in class?"

"Oh, that!" he replied. "It's like chimaki!"

"Chimaki?"

"You know, those sticky rice dumplings wrapped in bamboo leaves that are eaten on Children's Day. This lady next to our diner would always treat me to some on that day,"

As knowledgeable about food as she was, she lacked a favorite after school snack or favorite festival food. Erina reflected on her childhood and could see no such familiarity between food and happiness. All she could remember was plate after plate of food to taste and critique. The fondness in Souma's voice for something as common as chimaki had a strange effect to her ears.

"In any case, I will be preparing this dish then," as she took the filet and laid it in the paper. Souma, having already cut the vegetables, laid it under the fish. Souma observed a trance-like state when she was cooking. Equally adept with her hands as Souma, her knife swept quickly across the board. Her eyes seemed to be fixated on her dish alone. She grabbed a bunch of various spices and herbs, but each addition was added methodically. Just like her knife skills, all the other aspects of her cooking were executed with exacting precision. She sealed the paper shell and the fish was ready to cook.

"Now we'll cook it and see,"

"All right!"

After cooking the fish in the oven for a few minutes, Erina pulled the fish it out and laid it on the table. Opening the seal released a divine aroma, even stunning Souma.

"Wow…" Souma gasped.

Erina and Souma both took a taste. "It still needs more a few more drops of the lemon juice. A sprig of rosemary would be a more suitable garnish than thyme. Also, the fish is slightly overdone, we should cook it for less. Other than that, I cannot find any other major deficiencies" she said mechanically.

Souma, however, could not remark on the specificity of the dish. The fish was unbelievably tender and the juices caressed his tongue. The aftertaste was a gentle dream, light enough to leave one mellow, but had enough presence to be remembered. "Wow, Nakiri! I don't know about you, but I think this is perfect!"

"Perfection is not a detail" she said quietly. "There is no such thing as a perfect dish…"

Erina remembers that the sea bass she was supposed to use for class the next day she accidentally cooked

"Huh? What do ya mean?" he asked with a quizzical look on his face.

"Anything we create can only be made so it can no longer be criticized. 'Perfection' is simply an illusion,"

Souma couldn't find the right words to reply. He had expected a proud reaffirmation of her talent as a chef. After a short pause, he said, "All right, let's clean up. I'll see you later in the day Nakiri!". But her words still lingered on his mind.

"Perfection, huh?"

 **TO BE CONTINUED**


	3. Chapter 3

The curvature of Chef Chappelle's lips flexed upward. A short moment later, any trace of his stern appearance had evaporated. The piercing blue eyes of the "Chef Who Never Smiled" began to dew over. "This..." he stammered. "This dish… is absolutely the best halibut I have ever had the pleasure of tasting!"

"Good thing you came up with the recette this morning!" Souma said.

"This was made the last second?! Unbelievable. The sea bass dish that you made yesterday, it was fine – but this is divine. Nakiri-san, you must show me how you made this after class,"

"I would be happy to oblige." Erina replied flatly, unsurprised at the positive reception. She turned to glance at Souma.

"I guess all the time working on my recette was a wash, Nakiri," Souma muttered. The broad grin on his face had disappeared.

Stunned at the rare sight of their teacher smiling, even crying, their underclassmen began to sing praise of the first seat themselves. _As expected of Erina Nakiri_ and _She's simply the best_ were to them all truths they acknowledged. To Souma, although the distance between the two had shrank, the gap in skill had not – she was still the better of the two. _So this still isn't perfection for you, Nakiri,_ Souma wondered.

"Yukihira-kun? Is something wrong?"

Souma, noticing Erina was looking at him, composed himself. "Nah, it's nothing Nakiri. Good work."

Souma abruptly started packing his knife set and left for the door. "See ya!", he cried out with waving one hand goodbye. _Just you wait Nakiri_.

* * *

It is the usual time to go back to the Polar Star Dorm. Souma is outside the Elite Ten Council Building. There was a slight breeze that almost made it too chilly for Souma to have his well-worn black jacket as his only layer. Leaning against the building, by the door he seemed to be waiting for something or someone.

Upon seeing, Erina Souma cried out, "Yo, Nakiri! Are you heading back?"

"Yukihira-kun?" Catching her by surprise, she replied, "Yes, I am."

"Mind if I hitch a ride?"

Surprised by his sudden request, she almost nodded her head to acquiesce. Then the image of Souma's shoulder on her head from the morning flashed in her mind. "Not after this morning!", she quickly snapped.

"Aw…I guess I'll have to walk then." Souma replied slowly, to feign dejection.

"Walk all the way back to the dorm? Do you not have your bike?"

"I hitched a ride a with you this morning. _Remember_?"

"That's right…", she said replied with a hint of remorse.

"Then…care to join me?" he asked smugly. Any sign of guilt on Erina's face was replaced with annoyance. She bit her lip and furrowed her brow.

"What? Join you?!"

"Why not? It's a nice day out today.", he said in his usual calm manner. "I never see you outdoors anyway, you should soak in the sight while the trees are nice and green. More importantly, I want to talk to you about something."

While looking back at the car, she agreed, "If you insist… I'll accompany you this time."

* * *

As the two walked, the wind began to act up. Without any words exchanged, the sound of the wind rustling the drying leaves and the occasional passing car were the only disturbances they could hear. Even Souma was slightly perturbed by the absolute silence between the two. To break the silence, he decided to brave a compliment. "Cooking must be so easy for you. You must really love it…"

"What makes you say that?"

"Why wouldn't you?"

"... Why do you cook?", she deflected.

Souma was caught by surprise by this sudden question. It's not that he didn't enjoy cooking, but he never though _why_. He saw himself when he was a young boy cooking at his father's restaurant. After a short pause, he replied "Well… I've been cooking almost since I could walk!"

Erina had no response to his answer. Souma, practically at her side, tried to look into her face hoping for a reaction or at least an acknowledgement. She wordlessly looked down at the ground, as they walked. The wind began to blow her hair and strand by strand they would dance with the wind before settling back down on her back. _She really is in another world than me_ , Souma thought.

"I don't mean to pry, but I know that you didn't have the best time cooking with your dad and all. But you have to like it, right?"

She gave a very slight nod and the silence returned. The sight of her lost in her thoughts, nearly sent Souma to a trance of his own. His golden eyes reflected a color not so far off from her sun-kissed hair.

"I mean, you're so great at it."

Erina looked at the road ahead of them. The trees were beginning to don their fall colors. The green leaves were tinged with faint tinges of auburn.

"Now that you mention it… You seemed pretty down the past few days. Is everything okay?"

"You say that… but you never…", she said, barely audible due to a large gust of wind.

"Huh? What's that Nakiri?"

"I meant… you throw words around so carelessly," she said softly. Erina firmed her tone, "Do you actually mean what you say?" This time, Souma was struck with silence. He tried to think of how to reply, but no words could come. He tried to look interested with headband on his wrist fluttering in the wind.

She firmed her grip on her handbag slung on her shoulder. "What I'm trying to say is that… today was my fault…. I'm sorry."

"Sorry for what? Everything worked out fine didn't it?" Souma's face twisted into a smirk and added, "The old man said your dish was better anyway…"

"I'm apologizing to you. Do you actually listen to what others say?"

"It's no big deal. I guess, I'm not the best at hearing you out… My bad."

"You know Yukihira-kun, I meant to tell you this before… Our first year…. I didn't know who you father was…", she stammered.

Souma was no longer smiling. "That's enough!", Souma interrupted brusquely. Softening his tone, he said, "My pops has nothing to do with this."

Still, Erina was taken aback from his sudden change. "I told you before, it's alright, okay?" he said in reassurance. The sun was beginning to set and cast a long shadow on the two while on the sidewalk. Erina's pace slowed down enough to see Souma's silhouette in front of her.

"But, I'm fine with the way you are, okay?", he said in a hushed tone.

Erina couldn't see his face, but something about his words suggested that he was telling the truth. The softness in his voice dissolved her to tell him everything waned. Not wanting to ruin the moment, she told herself that the rest could wait.

Souma stopped walking, without looking at her, he said "To be honest, I've never really thought why I liked cooking so much." Erina, still behind him, was glad that she was behind him to see her reaction.

"So if even you don't have the answer to that question," Souma clenched his right fist and said, "We'll have to find it." He turned around and smiled, "Besides, I haven't forgotten my promise!"

Erina had forgotten about the promise he made to her at the entrance ceremony two years ago, until now. _You still want me to say 'It's good' to your face, Yukihira Souma?_ she asked.

The wind now reduced down to a subtle breeze. The started walking along the path to the dorm. Changing the subject, "There's something that smells nice," Souma began sniffing audibly. Returning back to his simple tone, he remarked "Almost like some kind of flower."

A little relieved, Erina replied, "It's fall though, how could there be floral fragrance around?" Amused at his antics, a half-smile could almost be made out on her face.

"Who knows? But I'm sure I've experienced it before." _Around you_.

* * *

It was dinner time again at the Polar Star Dorm. A few of the residents noticed the couple walk home together, prompting some nudges and winks from some of the residents to Souma. The usual lively atmosphere was present as ever. This time it was Yuuki's night to cook dinner. In front of the residents was a full course featuring green pheasant. However, food was not on Erina's mind. The more she thought about it, Souma's words still lingered on her mind. _Just what did he mean we'll find it together_? Erina looked on at the couple again. Their shared laughter, their mutual understanding, what exactly makes a relationship that different, she asked herself. The smile that Souma would flash seemed different from afar to her as he was talking to Megumi again, like he did the other night.

"Is there something wrong, Erina-chi? Is my cooking not good?" Yuuki asked.

Erina never had a large appetite in the first place. But lately, she ate less and less. Even with all the intricacies she could identify with her masterful taste, she couldn't understand what to feel. Food was just food – either it's edible or it's not.

"No… not at all," Erina replied hesitantly, deciding not to share her actual tasting notes of the dish. She finally settled with a simple remark. "The meat is very fresh."

"Of course! I slaughtered these pheasants room earlier today!", Yuuki proudly asserted.

"...you know Yukihira-kun, you have to do it someday" Megumi tells Souma. He simply grunts, neither acting displeased nor ignoring her statement.

Around the end of meal, Souma and Erina's eyes met, while he was talking to Megumi. She quickly looks away, followed by a nearly forlorn look on her face. Souma simply smiles back.

At the conclusion of the meal, everyone began putting the dishes away. Megumi got up to where Erina was sitting and asked bashfully "Nakiri-san, may I have a word with you?".

Erina, duly acknowledged her request and simply nodded. It was not all that uncommon for her dorm mates to ask her to ask for a taste test or a consultation. They both saw Souma leave the room, still talking with the other dorm mates.

"Nakiri-san, Souma-kun and I have noticed that you haven't been in the best mood as of late,"

"So, he's shown some concern for you, as a friend." Each sentence that Megumi would utter seemed exceedingly hesitant, almost pained in a way. It was still well known to the Polar Star residents that her shy demeanor still had not been erased after all these years.

"But I would just be weary of Souma-kun. Not that he's bad-spirited, but…" Megumi now stopped looking down at her hands on her laps. She took a quick glance at Erina. All she could discern was a look of impassivity. Truthfully, Erina shared this sentiment with Megumi. _Who really was Souma? What does he want from me?_ she asked. However, she could not bring herself to show signs of her own ruminations on the matter.

Seeing that Erina was unfazed, she reluctantly pushed on, "You know that Souma-kun's ambition hasn't changed," Megumi said softly without looking at her. After a short moment of silence, their eyes met. "He's still determined to become first seat, Nakiri-san," she said ending her words with a slight edge to her voice at the end. "So please talk to me, if you have…"

Not wanting to hear anymore, Erina cut Megumi off, "I feel that I'm justified in accepting him." Erina now got up out of her seat "And when that day comes… I'll be ready."

"I see, that's great…" Megumi responded startled by Erina's sudden stand.

"Thank you for your concern, but please don't worry about me. Good night, Tadokoro-san". Erina curtly bowed her head and made her way upstairs.

Megumi shut her eyes, trying to think of reasons to despise Erina. But why? Just _what am I doing?_ , she asked. Megumi reached for the good luck charm in her pocket. She couldn't remember when she last reached for the _omamori._ _It must have been two years,_ she remarked to herself. She placed her the charm, clutched in both her hands, over her heart wishing for _something_. This time, Megumi was left sitting alone, still at the dining table.

 **To be continued...**

 **Sorry for the delay in updating. I am currently undergoing a "training arc" (reading lots and lots of books). I will probably will update _eventually,_ but I don't want to rush the story. Thanks for all your support thus far!**


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